Linux PVR software recommendations?
#1
I am currently using WMCserver and I am somewhat happy with it but would like to try others including Linux PVRs. I have tried out NextPVR and Argus TV. I am happiest with WMCserver but each one has a missing feature or has some other small issue.

WMCserver
+ Has 14 day EPG built right in.
+ Very easy setup.
+ Series recordings in XBMC
- Only 4 turners without buying 3rd party hack.
- No recording to network drive.
- No padding when recording shows on the same channel one right after the other. (to get it to work have to use forced WMCserver padding of 5 min pre and 10 min post, but only works for recording setup with XBMC and will not work with shows setup with WMC or XBMC before setting up WMCserver padding).

NextPVR
+/- Easier than Argus TV but harder than WMC to setup.
- Only 7 days EPG when using schedules direct.
- No series recordings in XBMC.

Argus TV
+ 14 days or more EPG with schedules direct.
- EPG with schedules direct does not update automatically. But I'm sure it could be automated with a scheduled task.
- No series recordings in XBMC.

What I am looking for is these features.
+ 14 day EPG
+ Series recordings in XBMC (not through a web or PVR client interface)
+ Uses different tuner when recording consecutive shows on the same channel with padding.

Is there a Linux PVR that has these features? If there is I would like to move my tuners to my server so I can record directly to my server without going over the network.
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#2
(2014-04-03, 21:15)sgibbers17 Wrote: NextPVR
+/- Easier than Argus TV but harder than WMC to setup.
- Only 7 days EPG when using schedules direct.
- No series recordings in XBMC.
NextPVR also has series recording screens in XBMC. It lets you choose from six different types of season recordings, lets you specify the maximum number of recordings to keep, and the specify the pre/post padding.

Quote:- Only 7 days EPG when using schedules direct.
I can give you a NextPVR update to do 14 days with Schedules Direct if you want it. It's an easy change.

Quote:- No padding when recording shows on the same channel one right after the other.
NextPVR does this when using digital channels. Infact, you can even be recording on different channels if they're on the same frequency. This is pretty useful in DVB countries - ie, here in New Zealand I can be recording 16 DVB-T channels simultaneously with only two tuners.
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#3
(2014-04-03, 21:33)sub3 Wrote:
(2014-04-03, 21:15)sgibbers17 Wrote: NextPVR
+/- Easier than Argus TV but harder than WMC to setup.
- Only 7 days EPG when using schedules direct.
- No series recordings in XBMC.
NextPVR also has series recording screens in XBMC. It lets you choose from six different types of season recordings, lets you specify the maximum number of recordings to keep, and the specify the pre/post padding.

Quote:- Only 7 days EPG when using schedules direct.
I can give you a NextPVR update to do 14 days with Schedules Direct if you want it. It's an easy change.

Quote:- No padding when recording shows on the same channel one right after the other.
NextPVR does this when using digital channels. Infact, you can even be recording on different channels if they're on the same frequency. This is pretty useful in DVB countries - ie, here in New Zealand I can be recording 16 DVB-T channels simultaneously with only two tuners.

Could you show me how to make a series recording and the 14 day update? I live in the US so I don't know if ATSC works the same way as DVD-T for getting the padding to work.

Right now making a series recording is very easy with WMCserver, when I select add timer it asks me if I want to make a single recording or a series recording. Is it just as easy with NextPVR, this is more for making it easy for my wife.

Does anybody know if series recordings are possible on Argus TV? I would prefer to use Argus TV over NextPVR.

I am still looking to see if there is a Linux solution so I can move my tuners to the server.
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#4
The NextPVR addon added the series recording functionality in Gotham versions of XBMC. It wasn't back ported to Frodo.

Quote:Right now making a series recording is very easy with WMCserver, when I select add timer it asks me if I want to make a single recording or a series recording. Is it just as easy with NextPVR, this is more for making it easy for my wife.
Its pretty much the same. When you hit 'Add Timer' you'll get this screen:
Image

For the 14 day support, if you post the question over a http://forums.nextpvr.com, I'll post a patch for you. I'd rather not start posting patches here on the XBMC forums.

Quote:I live in the US so I don't know if ATSC works the same way as DVD-T for getting the padding to work.
It's pretty much the same, but they don't as often have useful combinations of channels on the same frequency. You can certainly get record pre and post padding on recordings on the same channel on ATSC with a single tuner, but you might not find two channels on the same frequency that you'd like to record at the same time.
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#5
(2014-04-03, 21:15)sgibbers17 Wrote: Series recordings in XBMC (not through a web or PVR client interface)

Quote:Is there a Linux PVR that has these features?

No.
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#6
With the XBMC 13 coming out are there plans to update the Linux PVR plugins for series recordings
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#7
sgibbers17,

The problem as I understand it when it comes to series recordings is that it's not currently in the XBMC PVR API, which basically means it's not natively supported within XBMC.

Currently to get it to work you need to have a backend that supports it, the backend dev has to create a custom .xml file, and each skin has to implement the custom .xml file.

Hopefully it's implemented in XBMC 14 so that there is a broader and better implementation.
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#8
I don't doubt that it will make it until the next release, after all there's an established baseline when it comes to what functionality is required and what the skins need (since some of the plugins have implemented it already). It's just a matter of coding it.
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#9
I hope that's the case. I heard before that the xbmc team was not keen on supporting it, that's why it hadn't been done to date. Once they decide to add series recordings, there is other stuff outside of the 'established' baseline. For instance being able to list the series timers, rank them in priority, stuff like that. If the xbmc team decides to do it, I hope we can do all this and only go through the skin support pain once.

Sorry for the digression.
Windows Media Center PVR addon (pvr.wmc) and server backend (ServerWMC)
http://bit.ly/serverwmc
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#10
TVHeadend is IMHO the way to go. Series recording and everything else can be done via web frontend.
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